Rene Garcia, Ph.D.

Dr. Rene Garcia is a professor of psychology and statistics at Miami Dade College and a Data Coach for ATD since 2006. He is also a mentor for Association for Institutional Research (AIR) courses, and resident faculty for several CCSSE institutes such as the Men of Color, Engaging Latino Students, and Entering Student Success Institutes. In his role as a Data Coach, Rene works with 10 colleges including Lone Star and Grayson Colleges (Texas), Henry Ford College and Mott Community College (Michigan), Coastal Pines Technical College (Georgia), Chattanooga State Community College (Tennessee), and SUNY Broome (New York). He also works with Dona Aña Community College (New Mexico), Trident Technical College (South Carolina), and Georgia State University as part of the iPASS Project .

Rene retired from Miami Dade College in 2015 after almost 38 years of service. He was the Director of Enrollment Management for the last 15 years of his tenure with primary responsibility for coordinating the intuition’s recruitment and retention efforts. Some of Rene’s contributions include the redesign of the recruitment, admission, and intake process for 14,000 direct-entry students, and coordination of orientation, advisement, assessment of non-cognitive factors, and an academic plan. In conjunction with the IT department, he developed databases to track students by type and better tools for advisors to provide student information in a clear and accessible format. Rene was an integral contributor to the development of structured pathways at Miami Dade College and the recipient of its Endowed Teaching Chair.

Rene’s extensive experience also comprises test administration and development, research, grant writing, survey construction. He has served as a consultant for a variety of organizations including Educational Testing Service, The College Board, and Aspira.

Rene holds a doctorate, M.A., and B.A. in psychology and education from the University of Miami.